NHS Gloucestershire has announced that a Caretaker contract for Drybrook Surgery has been signed.
This news means that GP services at Drybrook Surgery are secured and will continue from 1 June 2023, when the Mitcheldean Partnership contract will come to an end.
The Caretaker is a local GP, Dr Anna Raymond, along with Nurse Practitioner Katie Dyer (nee Cook) and Practice Nurse Nichola Winstanley. This contract will run until 1 December 2023.
Helen Goodey, Director of Primary Care and Place at NHS Gloucestershire, said:
“We are delighted that the contract has been secured and look forward to working with Dr Raymond and the nurses over the next six months.
This is a great outcome for patients at Drybrook Surgery, many of whom have existing relationships with Anna, Katie and Nichola as they already provide much of the clinical cover at the Surgery.
I am confident that as a team, they will be able to continue to offer high quality care to patients.
We are now focusing our efforts on the procurement for a longer-term solution as a matter of urgency.”
The new contract will start on 1 June 2023 and patients should not experience changes in the way they receive primary care medical services after this date. A full range of services will continue to be provided from the current Surgery building and patients will remain on the Drybrook Surgery patient list, so do not need to take any action.
Dr Anna Raymond said:
“We are thrilled and really excited by the prospect of working with everyone at Drybrook Surgery from 1 June and are very pleased that the contract has been secured.
Our priority is to give all our patients the very best health outcome possible by providing high-quality care and we are passionate about doing this to the best of our abilities.
We look forward to welcoming our patients in the coming weeks.”
Due to the nature of the new contractual arrangements, from June, patients who currently use the dispensary at Drybrook Surgery will need to choose a new pharmacy from which to obtain their prescribed medication. This change is due to the NHS Pharmacy Regulations and is outside of NHS Gloucestershire’s control. Anyone affected by this change has been sent a letter which sets out clearly what they need to do. This change is a legal requirement due to the nature of the contractual changes.
The procurement for a longer-term solution is underway and will involve a competitive procurement process, with the intention that a permanent contract provider takes over from December 2023.
NHS Gloucestershire will continue to keep patients up to date with progress through information in the Surgery waiting room and regular updates on the Surgery website.